Sakura Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
by percabeth4eva2014
Summary: Sakura your ordinary teen life is change when Sasuke comes into her life to tell her she is a vampire queen. But Sakura doesn't believe him so Sasuke has to convince her. During the whole processes the two of them fall in love.What will sakura do? Marry Sasuke and become a vampire queen are will she stay in her normal life.(Not good at summaries though try the first chapter plez)
1. Seeing him

Sakura Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

**Warning sexual content in later chapters and sasusaku parings. This is also a vampire fic. You have been **_**warned.**_

The first time I saw him, a heavy, gray fog clung to the cornfields, tails of mist slithering between the dying stalks. It was dreary early morning right after Labor Day, and I was waiting for the school bus, just minding my own business standing at the end of the dirt lane that connected my family's farmhouse to the main road into town.

I was thinking about how many dozen times I'd probably wait like any mathlete would, by doing calculations in my head, when I noticed him.

And suddenly that familiar stretch of blacktop seemed awfully desolate.

He was standing under a massive beech tree across the road from the road from me, his arms crossed over his chest. The tree's low, gnarled branches twisted down around him, nearly concealing him in limbs and leaves and shadows. But it was obvious that he was tall and wearing a long dark coat, almost the_ middle of nowhere, wearing a black cloak?_

He must have realized I'd spotted him because he shifted a little, like he was deciding whether to leave. Or maybe cross the road. It had never struck me how vulnerable I'd been all those mornings I'd waited out there alone, but the realization hit me hard then.

I glanced down the road, heart thudding._ Where is the stupid bus? And why did my dad have to be big on transit anyhow? But no, I had to "share the ride" to save the environment. When I'm abducted by the menacing guy under the tree, dad will probably insist my face only appear on recycled milk cartons…_

In the precious split second I wasted being angry at my father , the stranger really did move in my direction , stepping out from under the tree , and I could have sworn –just as the bus, thank god , crested the rise about fifty yards down the road- I could have sworn I heard him say, "Sakura"

_My old name …The name I'd been given at birth (Sakura Haruno), in Eastern Europe, before I'd been adopted and brought to Asia rechristened Saku Haru…_

Or maybe I was hearing thing, because the word was drowned out by the sound of tires hissing on wet pavement, grinding gears, and the whoosh of the doors as the doors as the driver, old Mr. Paul put the bus in gear, and I stumbled down the aisle, searching for an empty or a friendly face among the half-groggy riders. It sucked sometimes; living in rural Penn's (made up place). The town's kids were probably still sleeping, safe and sound in their beds.

Locating a spot at the very back of the bus. I plopped down with a rush of relief. Maybe I'd overreacted. Maybe my imagination had run wild, or too many episodes of _Americas Most Wanted _had messed with my head. Or maybe the stranger really had meant harm … Twisting around; I peeredout the rear window, and my heart sank.

He was still there there, but in the road now, booted feet planted on either side of the double yellow line, arms still crossed, watching the bus drive away. Watching me.

"_Sakura…"_

Had I really heard him call me by that long -forgotten name?

And if he knew that obscure fact, what else did the dark stranger, receding in the mist, know about my past?

More to the point , what did he want with me in the present?


	2. Seeing old friends

Sakura Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

**Previously-**Had I really heard him call me by that long -forgotten name?

And if he knew that obscure fact, what else did the dark stranger, receding in the mist, know about my past?

More to the point , what did he want with me in the present?

**Enjoy!**

…

"So that pretty much sums up my summer at camp."My best friend Ino Yamanka sighed pulling open the heavy glass door to Woodrow Wilson High School. "Homesick kids, sunburn, poison ivy, and big spiders in the showers."

"Sounds like being a counselor was awful ." I sympathized as we entered the familiar hallway, which smelled of cleanser and fresh floor wax. "If it helps, I gained at least five pounds waitressing at the diner. I just kept eating pie every time I got a break."

"You look great." Ino waved off my complaint. 'Although I'm not sure about your hair…" "Hey!" I protested, smoothing down my pink unruly curls which did seem rebelling in the late-summer humidity. "I'll have you know I spent an hour with a hair dryer and this 'straightening balm' that cost me a week tips…" I trailed off, realizing that Ino was distracted, not listening to me. I followed her gaze down the hall and toward the lockers. "And speaking of looking great." She said

Naruto Uzumaki, who lived on a farm near my family's place, was struggling with his new locker combination. Frowning at a scrap of paper in his hand, he spun the lock and rattled the handle. An obviously brand-new white T-shirt made his summer tan look especially deep. The sleeves hugged tight around bulging biceps.

"Naruto looks amazing." Ino whispered as we approached my neighbor. "He must have joined a gym or something. And did he get highlights?"

"He lugged hay bales all summer in the sun, Ino,'" I whispered back. "He doesn't need a gym –or bleach in his hair."Naruto glanced up as we walked past, and smiled when he saw me. "Hey, Saku."

"Hey." I replied. Then my mind went blank.

Ino chimed in, preventing an awkward silence. "Looks like they gave you the wrong locker combination," she noted, nodding at Naruto's still-closed locker. "Did you try kicking it?"

Naruto ignored the suggestion. "You didn't work last night, huh Saku?"

"No I'm done at the diner." I said. "It was just a summer job."

Naruto looked a little disappointed. "Oh. Well , I guess I'll have to catch up with you around school, then."

"Yeah sure. I'm sure we'll we have some classes together," I said, feeling my cheeks get warm. "See ya." I sort of dragged Ino along with me down the hall.

"What was all that about?" she demanded when we were out of earshot. She glanced over her shoulder at Naruto. My face grew warmer. "What was what all that about?"

"Naruto looking all sad that you quit the diner. You turn bright red-."

"It's nothing," I advised her. "He came in a few times near the end of my shift and gave me a ride home. We hung out a little … and I am _not_ red."

"Really?" Ino smile was smug. "You and Naruto, huh?"

"It was no big deal." I insisted.

The gleam in Ino eyes told me she knew I wasn't being completely honest. "This is going to be a interesting year," she predicted.

"And speaking of interesting …" I started to tell my best friend about the scary stranger at the bus stop. But the moment I thought of him , the hair on the back of my neck prickled, almost like I was being watched.

"_Sakura…"_

The low, deep voice echoed in my brain, like a half- remembered nightmare.

I rubbed the back of my neck. Maybe I would tell Ino the story later. Or maybe the whole thing would just blow over and I'd never even think about the guy again.

That was probably what would happen.

Yet the prickly sensation didn't go away.


	3. First class

Sakura Guide to dating on the dark side

_Sorry for not updating my laptop has been down for a while I'll try updating every weekend._

"This is going to be such an exciting class," Mrs. Wilhelm promised, bubbling over with enthusiasm as she handed out the reading list for Senior English Literature: Shakespeare to Stoker. "You are all going to love the classics I've selected. Prepare yourselves for a year of epic quests, heart-stopping romances, and the clashes of great armies. All with without ever leaving Woodrow Wilson High school."

Apparently not everybody was as ecstatic about clashing armies and thumping hearts as Mrs. Willelm, because I heard a lot of groans as the reading list circulated through the class. I accepted my copy from my longtime tormentor Kiba Inuzaka, who'd plopped into the seat in front of me like a massive, gooey spitball, and did a quick survey. _Oh no, Not_ Ivanhoe. _And _Moby Dick … _who had time to for Moby Dick?_

This was supposed to be the year I had a social life. Not to mention Dracula …please. If there was one thing I hated, it was spooky fairytales with no basis in reality or logic. That was my parents' territory, and I had no interest going there.

Stealing a quick look across the aisle at Ino, I saw panic and misery in her eyes too as she whispered, "What does 'wuthering' mean?"

"No idea," I whispered back. "We'll look it up." "I also want you to pass around the seating chart,' Mrs. Wilhelm continued, squishing around on her sensible shoes. "The desk you've selected will be your assigned seat for the year. I see some new faces out there, and I want to get to know you all as quickly as possible, so _do not move." _

I slouched in my seat. _Great. _I was destined for a whole year of Kiba Inuzaka moronic, but mean, comments, which I was certain he spew every time he turned to hand something back down the aisle. And legendarily bitchy cheerleader Karin had claimed the seat directly behind me. I was sandwiched between two of the school's nastiest people. At least Ino was across from me. And-I looked back to my left-Naruto had found a desk near mine. He grinned when I met his eyes. It could have been worse, I guess. But not much.

Kiba slid around his chair to toss the seating chart at me. "Here you go Forehead" he sneered, using the named he bestowed on me in kindergarten. "Put that on the chart." Yup. Moronic and mean, just like I'd predicted. And only 180 school days to go.

"At least I can spell my name" I hissed at him. _Jerk._

Inuzaku squirmed back around, scowling. As I dig through my backpack trying to find a pen. When I went to write my name down, my ballpoint pen was bone dry, probably because it had lingered in my backpack all summer long. I gave the pen a shake and tried again. Nothing.

I started turning to my left thing Naruto could loan me a pencil. Before I could ask him, though, I felt a tap on my right shoulder. _Not now… not now … _I considered ignoring it, but the tapper struck me lightly again.

"Excuse me, but are you in need of a writing instrument?" The deep voice with the unusual Euro accent came from close behind me. I had no choice but to turn around.

_No_

It was him. The guy from the bus stop. I would have recognized the strange outfit-long coat, the boots- not to mention his imposing height anywhere. Only this time, he was just a few feet away. Close enough for me to see his eyes. They were so dark as to appear black and were boring into me with a cool, somehow unnerving, intelligence. I swallowed thickly frozen in my seat.

Had he been I class all along? And if so, how could I have failed to notice him?

Maybe because he was sitting sort of apart from the rest of us. Or maybe it was because the very air in his particular corner seemed murky, the fluorescent light directly above his desk snuffed out. But it was more than that. It was almost like he created the darkness.

"You require a writing instrument yes?" he repeated, stretching his arm up the aisle –a long, muscular arm- to offer me a shiny gold pen. You could tell just by the way it glittered that it was expensive. Not the plastic bics that most people used. a real gold pen. When I hesitated, a look of annoyance crosses his aristocratic face, and he shook the pen at me. "You do recognize a pen right? This is a familiar tool yes?"

I didn't appreciate the sarcasm, or the way he'd crept up on me twice in one day, and I kept staring, stupidly, until Karin reached forward and pinched me arm. Hard. "Just sign the chart, Sak, all right?"

"Hey!" I rubbed what would be a bruised, wishing I had the nerve to tell Karin off, both for pinching me and calling me by the wrong name. But the last person who'd tangled with Karin had ended up transferring to Konoha high school. Karin had made her life at this miserable.

"Hurry it up Sak' Karin snapped again

"Okay, okay" reluctantly reaching out to the stranger, I accepted the heavy pen from his hand, and as our fingers touched, I felt the most bizarre sensation ever. Like déjà vu crashing into premonition. The past colliding with the future.

I slid back around, and my hand shook a little as I wrote my name in the seating chart. It was stupid to be freaked out. He was just another student. Obviously a new guy. Maybe he lived somewhere near our farm. He'd probably been waiting for the bus, just like me and missed getting on somehow. His somewhat mysterious appearance in English class-a few feet from me-probably wasn't cause for alarm, either.

I looked to Ino for her opinion. She'd obviously been waiting to make contact. Eyes wide, she jabbed her thumb in the guy's direction, mouthing a very exaggerated, "he's so hot!" "Hot!?" 'You're crazy" I whispered. Yes, the guy was technically good-looking. But he was also totally terrifying with his cloak and boots and ability to materialize near me seemingly out of nowhere. "The chart already!' Karin growled behind me. "Here' I passed the seating chat over my shoulder, getting deep , razor thin cut as impatient Karin snatched the paper from my hand. Fucking bitch.

I shook the stinging bleeding finger, then jabbed it in my mouth, tasting salt on my tongue, before I twisted back around to return the pen. The guy who lend me his pen staring at me finger. 'OH sorry' I said wiping the pen on my leg, for the lack of a tissue. His gaze followed my fingers, and I thought maybe he was revolted by the fact that I was bleeding. Yet I swore I saw something quite different than disgust in those onyx eyes… and then he ran his tongue on his lower lip.

_What the hell was that?_

Tossing the pen at him, I spun around in my seat._ I could change schools, like that girl who messed with Karin. Go to Konoha high school. That the answer. It's not too late…._

The seating chart made its way back to Mrs. Wilhelm, and she read through the names, and then glanced up with a smile that was directed just past my desk. "Let's take a moment to welcome our new foreign exchange student, Sasuke…" frowning, she referred back to her chart. "Uchha…aaawa. Did I say that correctly?" most students would have just muttered, "yeah whatever." I mean, who really cared about a name? my early-morning stalker that's who. "No," he intoned. "No, that is not correct.' Behind me, I heard the scrape of a chair against linoleum, and then a shadow loomed over my shoulder. My neck prickled again.

"Oh." Mrs. Wilhelm looked slightly alarmed as a tall teenager in a black velvet coat advanced up the aisle toward her. She raised a cautionary finger, like she was about to tell him to sit down, but he strode right past her.

Grabbing up a marker from the tray beneath the white board, he flipped off the cap with authority and scrawled the word _Uchiha _in a flowing script.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he announced, pointing to the word. "U-CHE-HA"

Locking his hands behind his back, he began pacing, as though he was the teacher. One by one, he made eye contact with each student in the room, obviously summing us up. I sensed from the look on his face that we were found wanting somehow.

"The Uchiha name is rather revered in Eastern Europe," he lectured. "A noble name." He paused in his pacing and locked onto _my _eyes. "A royal name."

I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Does it not 'ring a bell', as you Americans say?" he asked in the class general. But he was still staring at me.

God his eyes were black.

I flinched away, looking at Ino, who was actually fanning herself, totally oblivious to me. It was like she was under a spell. Everyone was. No one fidgeting, or whispering, or doodling.

Almost against my will, I returned my attention to the teenager who'd hijacked English lit. it was really almost impossible not to watch him Sasuke Uchiha hair was black and defy gravity. He was muscular and lean like a model, too, with high cheekbones, a straight nose, and a strong jaw. And those eyes…

Why wouldn't he quit staring at me?

"Would you care to tell us anything else about yourself?" Mrs. Wilhelm finally suggested.

Sasuke Uchiha spun in his booted heel to face her and capped the pen with a firm snapped. "Not particularly. No." The answer wasn't rude… but he didn't address Mrs. Wilhelm like a student, either.

More like and equal.

"I'm sure we'd love to hear more about your heritage," Mrs. Wilhelm prompted, admitting, "It does sound interesting." But Sasuke Uchiha had returned his attention to me. I slunk down in my chair. _Is everyone noticing this? _"You shall learn more about me in due time" Sasuke said with a smirk. There was also a hint of frustration in his voice, and I had no idea why. But it scared me again. "That is a promise," he added, boring into my eyes. "A promise."

Yet it sounded like threat.

Ok guys thanks for reading my story hope you enjoyed. Thanks guys for reviewing, following and Favor ting my stories! More is to come this weekend!


	4. Stalker or Not?

Sakura Guide to dating on the dark side

"Did you see the foreign guy was looking at you in English lit?" Ino cried when we met up after school. "He's gorgeous, and he is so into you! And he's royalty."

I squeezed her wrist, trying to calm her down. "Ino before you buy a gift for our 'royal' wedding, I have to tell you something scary about the so-called gorgeous guy."

My friend crossed her arms, skeptical. I could tell that Ino had already made up her mind about Sasuke Uchiha, basing her entire opinion on broad shoulders and a strong jaw. "What would you know about him that was scary? We just met him!"

"Actually I saw him earlier this morning." "That it maybe he takes the bus." "But he didn't get on." "So he missed the bus." She shrugged. "That's a stupid, but not scary."

Ino wasn't getting the point at all. "It's weirder than that." I insisted "He was…he was staring at me just as the bus pulled up."

Ino looked puzzled.

"My old name," I clarified.

My best friend sucked in her breath. "Okay. That could be a little weird." She said looking like she was considering what I just said. "Nobody knows that name. Nobody."

In fact I haven't shared much of my past with Ino. The story of my adoption was a closely guarded story. If It ever got out…people would think I'm a freak. I felt like a freak every time I thought about the story. My adoptive mother, a cultural anthropologist, had been studying an off the wall underground cult in central Romania. She'd been there with my dad to observe their rituals, in hopes of writing one of her groundbreaking insider journal articles about unique subcultures. However, things had gone wrong over in Eastern Europe. The cult had been a little to strange, a little too off beat, and some Romanian villagers had banded together, deciding to end that cult. By force.

Just before the mob, attacked, my birth parents had entrusted me, and infant, to the visiting American researchers, begging them to take me to the United States, where I would be safe.

I hated that story. Hated the fact that my birth parents had been ignorant, and superstitious people duped into joining a cult.

I didn't even want to know what the rituals were. I knew the kind of things my mom studied. Animal sacrifices, tree worship, virgins tossed into volcanoes…maybe my birth parents had been involved in some deviant sexual stuff. Maybe that's why they were murdered.

Who knew? _Who wanted to know?_

I didn't ask for details and my adoptive parents never push the issue. I was just happy to be Saku Haru, American. Sakura Haruno didn't exist, as far as I was concerned.

"Are you sure he knew your name" Ino asked in concern.

"No." I admitted. "But thought I heard it."

"Oh, Saku" Ino sighed. "Nobody knows that name. You probably just imagined the whole thing. Or else he said a word that sounded like Sakura."

"I don't know. How about 'nice to meetcha?'"

"Yeah, right." But that did kind of make me laugh. We walked toward the street to wait for my mom to pick me up. I had called at lunch to tell her I was _not_ taking the bus home.

Ino added her last two cents. "I'm just saying maybe you should give this Sasuke person a chance.'

"Why?"

"Because…Because he's so tall!" Ino explained, like height was proof of good character. "And did I mention European?"

My mom rusty old VW van rattled up the curb, and I waved to her. "Yes. It's so much better to be stalked by a tall European then an average American guy of average height."

"Well, at least Sasuke is paying attention to you." Ino sniffed. "Nobody ever pays attention to me." We reached the van, and I opened the door. Before I could even say hi Ino shoved me aside, leaned in, and blurted, "SAKU HAS A BOYFRIEND, !"

Mom looked puzzled. "Is that true Saku?"

It was my turn to shove Ino out of the way. I climbed in and slammed the door, shutting my friend safely on the other side. Ino waved, laughing, as mom and I pulled away from the curb.

"A boyfriend, Saku?" Mom asked again. "On the first day of school?"

"He's not my boyfriend," I grumbled clicking on my seat belt. "He's a creepy foreign exchange student from Romania who has been stalking me." "Saku you're probably just over exaggerating." "Male adolescents are frequently socially awkward. You're probably misinterpreting innocent behaviors."

Like all cultural anthropologists, Mom believed she knew everything about human social interactions. "You didn't see him at the bus stop this morning." I argued. "He was standing there in this black cloak with black combat boots on…and then when my finger bled, he licked his slip…"

When I said that mom hit her brakes so hard hat my head nearly smacked the dashboard. A car behind us honked angrily.

"Mom! What was that about?"

"Sorry, Saku," she said, looking a little pale. She stepped on the gas again. "It was just something you said…about getting cut."

"I cut my finger, and he practically drooled over it, like it was ketchup-covered French fry," I shuddered. "It was so gross."

Mom grew paler, and I knew something was up. "Who…who was this boy?" she asked as we pulled up to a stop sign near Grantely College, where my mom taught, where my mom taught. "What's his name?"

I could tell she was trying hard to sound unconcerned, and that made me more nervous.

"His name is…" Before I could say Sasuke, though, I spotted him. Sitting on the low wall that surrounded the campus.

And he was watching me. Again. Sweat broke out on my forehead. But this time, I was pissed. _Enough is enough, already._ "He's right there," I cried, jabbing my finger at the window. "He's staring at me again!" It was not 'socially awkward behavior.' It was stalking. "I want him to leave me alone!"

Then my mom something unexpected. She pulled over to the curb, right next to where Sasuke waited, watching. "What's his name Saku?" "Sasuke," I answered. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Oh, goodness," Mom muttered, looking past me at my stalker. "I suppose this really was inevitable…" she had a queer, distant look in her eyes.

"Mom?" _What was inevitable?_

"Wait here?" she said, still not looking at me. "Do not move" she ordered. She sounded so serious I didn't even protest. Without another word she got out of the van, and strode towards the tall guy who has been menacing me all day. Was she crazy? Would he try to run away? Go berserk and hurt her? But no, he slipped off the wall and bowed-a real bow, at the waist-to my mother. _What the…_

I rolled down the window, but they spoke so softly I couldn't hear what they were saying. The conversation went on for what seem like eons. And then my mother shook his hand.

Sasuke Uchiha turned to go, and mom got back in the van and turned the key.

"What was all that about?" I asked dumbfounded.

My mother looked me straight in the eye and said, "You, your father, and I need to talk. Tonight."

"About what?" I demanded a prickly feeling in the pit of my stomach. A bad prickle. "Do you know that guy?" "We'll explain later. We have so much, so much to tell you. And we need to do it before Sasuke arrives for dinner."

My jaw was still on the floor when mom patted my hand and pulled out into traffic.


	5. First conversafight?

Sakura Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

My parents never got a chance to explain what was happening, though. When we got home, dad was in the middle of teaching tantric yoga class for oversexed, over-the-hill hippies, out in the studio behind the house, so mom told me to go ahead with my chores.

And then Sasuke arrived early for dinner.

I was in the barn mucking out stalls when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow cross the open barn door.

"Who's there?" I called nervously, still jumpy from the day's events.

When there was no answer, I got the bad feeling my visitor was our dinner guest. _Mom invited him, _I reminded myself as, sure enough, a tall European exchange student strode across the dusty riding ring. _He can't be that dangerous._

Mom's endorsement aside, I kept a firm hold on my pitchfork. "What are you doing here?" I demanded as he approached.

"Manners, manners," Sasuke complained in his snooty accent, kicking up little puffs of dusts with each long stride. He arrived within few feet of me, and I struck again by his height. "A lady doesn't bellow across barns," he continued. "And what sort of salutation was that?" _Is the guy who spied on me all day lecturing me on etiquette? _

"I asked you why you are here." I repeated, clutching the pitchfork a little tighter.

"To become acquainted, of course," he said, continuing to appraise me, actually circling me, and staring at my clothes. I spun around, trying to keep him in view, and caught him wrinkling his nose. "Surely you're eager to get to know me too."

_Not really…_ I had no idea what he was talking about, but the head-to-toe of my person was not cool. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He stopped circling me. "Are you cleaning stalls? Is that feces on your shoes?"

"Yeah," I said, confused by his tone. _Why did he care what is on my shoe? "_ I muck the stalls every night."

"You?" he seemed baffled-and appalled.

"Somebody has to do it," I said. _Why does he think this is his business?_

"Yes, well, we have people for that, where I come from. Hired help." He sniffed. "You-a lady of your stature- should never do such menial chore. It's offensive."

When he said that, my fingers tightened again on the pitchfork- and not out of fear. Sasuke Uchiha wasn't just intimidating. He was infuriating. "Look, I've about had it with you creeping up on me, and your attitude,' I snapped. 'Who do you think you are, anyhow? And why are you following me?" he shook his head. " vowed that she would tell you everything. Your parents are not so good at keeping promises."

"We…we're supposed to talk later," I stammered, my outrage anger fading a little in the face of his obvious anger. "Dad's teaching yoga…"

"Yoga?" Sasuke gave a harsh laugh. 'Contorting his frame into a series of ridiculous configurations is more important than informing his daughter about the pact? And what manner of man practices such a pacifist pastime? Men should train for war, not waste their time chanting 'om' and blathering about inner peace."

_Forget the yoga and the blathering. "_Pact? What pact?"

But Sasuke was staring at the beamed ceiling of the barn, pacing around, hands clasped behind his back, muttering to himself. "This is not going well. Not going well at all. I advised the Elders that you should have been summoned back to Romania years ago, that you would never be a suitable bride…"

_Whoa, there. _ "Bride?"

Sasuke paused, turning on his heel to face me. "I grow weary of your ignorance." He moved closer to me, leaning down and peering into my eyes. "Because your parents refuse to inform you, I will deliver the news myself, and I shall make this simple for you." He pointed to his chest and announced, as though talking to a child, "I am a vampire." He pointed to my chest. "You are a vampire. And we are to be married, the moment you come of age. This has been decreed since our births."

I couldn't even process the "getting married "part or the thing about "decreed." He'd lost me at "vampire."

_Nuts. Sasuke Uchiha is completely nuts. And I'm alone with him, in an empty barn._

So I did what any sane person would do. I jammed the pitchfork in the general direction of his foot and ran like hell for the house, ignoring his yowl of pain.


	6. Explaing vampires 6 pt1

"I am so not undead," I wailed.

But if course, no one paid attention. My parents were too focused on Sasuke Uchiha injured foot.

"Sasuke, sit down," Mom ordered, looking none too happy with either of us.

"I prefer to stand," Sasuke replied.

Mom pointed firmly at the ring of chairs around the kitchen table. "Sit._ Now."_

Our injured visitor hesitated like he was going to disobey, then, muttering under his breath, took a chair. Mom yanked off his boot, which bore the visible imprint of a pitchfork tine, while my dad puttered about the kitchen, searching under the sink for the first aid kit while he waited for the herbal tea to brew.

"It's just bruised," Mom announced.

"Oh, good." Dad crawled out from under the sink. "I can't find the bandages, anyway. But we can still have tea."

The lanky self-proclaimed bloodsucker who had commandeered _my _seat at the kitchen table glared at me. "You are very lucky that my cobbler uses only the finest leather. You could have impaled me. And you do _not_ want to impale a vampire. More to the point, is that any way to greet your future husband –or any guest, for that matter? With a pitchfork?"

"Sasuke," my mother interrupted. "You did catch Saku off guard. As I explained to you earlier, her father and I wanted to speak to her first."

"Yes well, you certainly lingered over the task-for seventeen years. Someone had to take charge." Sasuke pulled his foot from Mom's grasp and stood up, limping around the kitchen with one boot on, frowned.

"You _drink_ this?"

"You'll like it," Dad promised. He poured four mugs. "It's very soothing in a stressful time like this."

"Enough with the tea. Just tell me what's going on," I begged, sitting down to reclaim my chair from Sasuke. It wasn't warm at all. Almost like no one had been there just moments before. "Anybody. Please. Fill me in."

"As your parents wish, I will relinquish that duty to them," Sasuke conceded. He lifted his steaming mug to his lips, sipped, and shuddered. "Good god, that's foul."

Ignoring Sasuke, Mom shared a knowing glance with my dad, like they had a secret. "Kizaka…what do you think?"

Apparently he understood what she was hinting at,, because Dad nodded and said, "I'll get the scroll," then left the kitchen.

"Scroll?" _Scrolls. Pacts. Brides. Why is everyone talking in code? _"What scroll?"

"Oh, dear." Mom sat in the chair next to mine and cradled my hands. "This is rather complicated."

"Try." I urged.

"You've always known that you are adopted from Romania," Mom began. "And that your birth parents were killed in a village conflict."

"Murdered by peasants." Sasuke scowled. "Superstitious people, given to forming vicious hordes." He unscrewed the lid on Dad's organic peanut butter wiped his finger on his pants, which were black and hugged his long legs, almost like riding breeches. "Please tell me there's _something_ palatable in this house."

Mom turned to address Sasuke. "I'm going to ask you to stay quiet for a few minutes while I tell the story."

Sasuke bowed slightly, his glossy blue-black hair gleaming under the kitchen lamp. "Of course. Continue."

Mom returned her attention to me. "But we didn't tell you the whole story, because the topic seemed to upset you so much."

"Now might be a good time," I suggested. "I couldn't get much more upset."

Mom sipped her tea and swallowed. "Yes, well, the truth is, your birth parents were destroyed by an angry mob trying to rid their village of vampires."

"Vampires?" Surely she was joking.

"Yes," Mom confirmed. "Vampires. Your parents were among the vampires I was studying at the time."

Okay, now it was not uncommon to hear words like _fairy_ or _earth sprits_ or even _troll_ in my house. I mean, folk culture and legends were my mom's research interest, and my dad had been known to host the occasional "angel communication" seminar in his yoga studio. But surely even my flaky parents didn't believe in Hollywood _movie monsters_. They couldn't have honestly believed that my birth parents had turned into bats, or dissolved in sunlight, or grew big fangs. _Could they?_

"You said you were studying some type of cult," I countered. "A subculture that had some unusual rituals…but you never said anything about _vampires_."

"You have always been very logical, Saku," Mom said. "You do not like things that cannot be explained by math or science. Your father and I were afraid the truth about your birth parents might deeply disturb you. So we kept things…vague."

"You're saying my birth parents actually thought they were vampires?" I sort of yelped.

Mom nodded. "Well…yes."

"They didn't just _think_ they were vampires," Sasuke grumbled. He'd retrieved his boot and was hopping around on one foot, attempting to put it on. "They were _vampires."_

As I gawked at our guest in disbelief, the most disgusting thought in the world crossed my mind. Those rituals my mom had alluded to, related to my birth parents… "They didn't…actually _drink blood_…"

The expression on mom's face said it all, and I though_t I might pass out. My birth parents: deviant_, disturbed blood drinkers.

"Tasty, tasty, stuff," Sasuke commented. "You wouldn't, perchance, have any here, in lieu of this tea-"

Mom shot him a look.

Sasuke frowned. "No. I suppose not."

"People do not drink blood," I insisted, my voice spiking kind of high. "And vampires do not exist!"

Sasuke crossed his arms, glowering. "Excuse me. I'm right here."

"Sasuke please," Mom said in a calm but serious tone she reserved for hard-to-control students. "Give Saku time to process. She has an analytical bent that makes her resistant to the paranormal."


	7. Explaing Vampires 6 pt 2

"I'm resistant to the impossible," I cried. "The unreal."

At this low point, Dad returned with a mildewed scroll cradled in his hands. "Historically, a lot of people are resistant to the idea of the undead," Dad noted, carefully placing the document on the table. "And the late 1980s were an especially lousy time for vampires in Romania. Big purges every few months. Lots of very nice vampires eliminated."

"Your birth parents-who were quite powerful within their subculture- realized that they were likely marked destruction and entrusted you to us before they were killed, hoping we could keep you safe in the United States," Mom added.

"People don't drink blood," I repeated. "They don't. You didn't see my parents act like vampires, did you," I challenged. "You never saw them grow fangs and bite necks? I know you didn't. Because it didn't happen."

"No," mom admitted, taking my hands again. "We were not allowed that kind of access."

"Because it didn't happen," I repeated.  
"No," Sasuke interjected. "Because biting is very private, very intimate. You don't just invite people to watch. Vampires are a sensual race but not given to exhibitionism, for god's sake. We're discreet."

"But we have no reason to believe anyone lied to us about drinking blood," Mom in added. "And it's nothing to be upset about, Saku. It was quite normal to them. Had you grown up Romania in that subculture, it would have seemed ordinary to you too."

I yanked my hands away. "I really don't think so."

With a deep sigh, Sasuke resumed pacing. "Honestly, I can't stand this going around anymore. The story is quite simple. You, Sakura, are the last of a long line of powerful vampires. The Haruno's. Vampire royalty."

Now that made me laugh a squeaky, kind of hysterical laugh. "Vampire royalty. Right."

"Yes. Royalty. And that is the last part of the story, which your parents still seem reluctant to relate." Sasuke leaned over the table across from me, bracing his arms, staring down me down. "You are a vampire princess-the heir to the Haruno leadership. I am a vampire prince. The heir to an equally powerful clan, the Uchiha. More powerful, I would say, but that's not the point. We were pledged to each other in an engagement ceremony shortly after our births."

I looked to my mom for help, but all she said was, "The ceremony was quite dramatic, very elaborate."

"In an enormous cave in Carpathians," Dad added. "With candles everywhere." He gazed at my mom with loving admiration. "No other outsider ever had such access."

I glared at them. "You were _there_? At this ceremony?"

"Oh, we met lots of vampires on that trip and saw so many interesting cultural events." Mom smiled a little, remembering. "You should read my search summary in the _Journal of Eastern European Folk Culture. _It was rather landmark insider work, if I do say so myself."

"Let me finish, please," Sasuke grumbled.

"Easy there," Dad chided gently. "In this little democracy, everybody gets a chance to speak."

From the disdainful look on Sasuke shot my dad, I could tell he didn't care much for democracy. The delusional Dracula wannabe resumed pacing. "The betrothal ceremony sealed our destines, Sakura. We are to be married soon after you come of age. Our bloodlines united, consolidating our clans' strength and ending years of rivalry and warfare." His black eyes gleamed, and his gaze drifted far away. "It shall be a glorious moment in our history, when we ascend to power. Five million vampires –your family, my family combined- all under our rule." My so-called betrothed snapped back to reality and glanced at me, sniffing, and "I'll do all the 'heavy lifting,' of course, leadership-wise

"You're all insane," I declared, staring from one face to the next. "This is crazy."

Moving closer to me, Sasuke crouched so we were face to face. For the first time, I saw curiosity, not disdain or mockery, or raw power, in his dark eyes. "Would it be so repugnant, really, Sakura? To be with me?"

I wasn't sure what he meant, but I though he was talking about… the two of us together, not in a bid for political power, but in a romantic way.


	8. Explaing Vampires 6pt 3

I didn't say anything. Did Sasuke Uchiha really think I would fall for him, just because he had a handsome face? A killer body? That I would care that he smelled like the sexiest, spiciest cologne I'd ever sniffed…

"Let's show her the scroll," Dad interrupted, breaking the moment.

"Yes, it's time," Mom agreed.

I had almost forgotten the musty paper, but now Dad sat down and carefully unrolled the scroll on the kitchen table. The brittle paper crackled as he smoothed it with gentle fingers. The words- Romania, presumably-were unintelligible to me, but it looked like some sort of legal document, with lots of signatures at the bottom. I shifted my gaze, refusing to look any closer at a bunch of nonsense.

"I shall translate," Sasuke volunteered, standing up. "Unless of course, Sakura studied her Romanian?"

"It's next on my to-do list," I said through gritted teeth,.

_Multilingual show-off._

"You a would be wise to start learning, my future bride," Sasuke replied, edging even closer and leaning over my shoulder to read. I could feel his breath on my cheek. It was unnaturally cool, sweet. Against my better judgment, I kept inhaling that unusual cologne, too, drawing it deep into my lungs. Sasuke was so closed that my curly pink hair brushed against his jaw, and he absently swept the stray locks away, the back of his fingers razing my cheek. I jolted at the touch. The sensations hit me, right in the pit of my stomach.

If Sasuke felt the same shock I did, he didn't betray it as he focused intently on the document. _Am I getting dizzy from sniffing cologne? Imaging things?_

I shifted slightly in my chair, trying not to touch him, as our arrogant visitor ran his finger beneath the first line of the scroll. "This declares that you, Sakura Haruno, are promised marriage to me, Sasuke Uchiha, shortly after the achievement of your maturity age of eighteen, and that all parties in witness agree to this covenant. And upon the marriage, our clans shall be united and at peace." He leaned back. "As I said, it's quite simple, really. And see: your adoptive father's signature. And your mother's."

I couldn't resist glancing when he said, that, and sure enough, Mom and Dad's scrawled signatures were on the documents, amid dozens of unfamiliar Romanian names. _Traitors._ Shoving the scroll away, I crossed my arms and glared at my parents. "How could you promise me away like…like…a prize cow?"

"We didn't 'promise you away' Saku" Mom soothed. "

"You weren't our daughter then. We were merely there to witness a unique ritual, in the interest of research. This was weeks before the purge, weeks before we adopted you. We had no idea what the future held for any of us."

"Besides, no one promises cows," Sasuke scoffed. "Who would promise cattle? You are a vampire princess. Your destiny is not entirely your own."

_Princess…He honestly thinks I'm a vampire princess…_

The strange, almost pleasurable, sensation I'd felt when he'd brushed my cheek was forgotten as reality hit me again. Sasuke Uchiha was a lunatic.

"If I were a vampire, I'd want to bite someone. I'd be thirsty for blood," I said in a last ditch attempt to interject reason into a discussion that had developed into the absurd.

"You will come into your true nature," Sasuke promised. "You are coming of age right now. And when I bite you for the first rime, _then_ you will be a vampire. I've brought you a book- a guide, so to speak- which will explain everything-"

I stood up so fast my chair tipped over, smashing to the floor. "He is not going to bite me." I interrupted, pointing a shaky finger at Sasuke. "And I'm not going to Romanian and marrying him! I don't care what kind of 'betrothal ceremony' they had!" "You will all honor the pack," Sasuke growled. It wasn't a suggestion.

"Now don't get dictatorial on us, Sasuke," Dad urged, kicking back in his chair and stroking his beard. "I told you. This is a democracy. Let's just all just take a deep breath. Like Ghandi said, 'We must become the change we want to see."

Sasuke had clearly never grappled with a master of passive resistance before, because he seemed genuinely caught off-guard by Dad's firm, yet mellow, and totally off-killer, assessment of the situation. "What does that even mean?" he finally asked.

"No one's making decisions today," Mom translated. It's late, and we're all tired and a little overwhelmed. Besides Sasuke, Saku is not ready to contemplate marriage. She hasn't even kissed a boy yet, for goodness' sake."

Sasuke smirked at me, raising one eyebrow. "Really? No suitor? How shocking. I would have thought your pitchfork skills would be attractive to certain bachelors here in farm country."

I wanted to die. Die right there. I wanted to run to the knife drawer, grab the biggest blade I could find, and plunge it into my heart. To be exposed as never even being kissed…it was almost worse than being a vampire princess. The vampire thing was a ridiculous fantasy, but my total lack of experience…that was real. "Mom! That is so embarrassing! Did you have to tell him that?"

"Well Saku, it's true. I don't want Sasuke thinking you're some sort if experienced young woman, ready for marriage",

"I shan't take advantage," Sasuke promised seriously. "And she can't be forced into a marriage, of course. It is a new century. Unfortunately, But I am afraid that I am compelled to pursue this courtship until Sakura realizes her place at my side. As she will."

"I will not."

Sasuke totally brushed this off. "The linkage of our clans is mandated by the oldest, most powerful member: the Elders of the Uchiha and Haruno families. And the Elders always get their way."

Mom stood. "It will be Saku decision, Sasuke."

"Of course." The condescending half-smile on Sasuke face said otherwise, though. "Now where shall I stay?"

"Stay?" Dad blinked, confused.

"Yes. Sleep," Sasuke clarified. I've had a long journey, endured my first stultifying day at the so called public school here, and I'm weary."

"You're not going back to school," I objected, panicking. I'd forgotten about school. "You just can't!"

"Of course I shall attend school." Sasuke replied.

"How did you enroll?" Mom asked

"I'm here on what's called a 'student visa'. Sasuke explained. "The Elders thought it would be difficult to explain my extend presence here otherwise. Vampires don't like to raise suspicions, as you can imagine. We like to blend in."


End file.
